Dibbler

Parantechinus apicalis

Blamed on cats

IUCN status: Endangered

EPBC Predator Threat Rating: High

IUCN claim: “Introduced foxes and cats are known to prey on this species”

Studies in support

Cats hunt dibblers (Woolley 1977).

Studies not in support

No studies

Is the threat claim evidence-based?

There are no studies linking cats to dibbler populations.

Evidence linking Parantechinus apicalis to cats. Systematic review of evidence for an association between Parantechinus apicalis and cats. Positive studies are in support of the hypothesis that cats contribute to the decline of Parantechinus apicalis, negative studies are not in support. Predation studies include studies documenting hunting or scavenging; baiting studies are associations between poison baiting and threatened mammal abundance where information on predator abundance is not provided; population studies are associations between threatened mammal and predator abundance.
Evidence linking Parantechinus apicalis to cats. Systematic review of evidence for an association between Parantechinus apicalis and cats. Positive studies are in support of the hypothesis that cats contribute to the decline of Parantechinus apicalis, negative studies are not in support. Predation studies include studies documenting hunting or scavenging; baiting studies are associations between poison baiting and threatened mammal abundance where information on predator abundance is not provided; population studies are associations between threatened mammal and predator abundance.

References

Current submission (2023) Scant evidence that introduced predators cause extinctions. Conservation Biology

EPBC. (2015) Threat Abatement Plan for Predation by Feral Cats. Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, Department of Environment, Government of Australia. (Table A1).

Friend T. 2003. Dibbler (Parantechinus apicalis) Recovery Plan July 2003–June 2013. Wildlife Management Program. Department of Conservation and Land Management Western Australian Threatened Species and Communities Unit

IUCN Red List. https://www.iucnredlist.org/ Accessed June 2023